[mcgregni]

Yes, rock it please!

That's a very enticing looking package, I wish someone would deliver it to me! Am I right to assume that you are testing for TTL functioning and performance with an RF60x plus a couple of Pentax flashes? (based on you having 3 V6II units). Are you going to try the flashes all together and try to get control of a lighting ratio between them?

If this could be reliably and consistently controlled then this system of radio controlled TTL could have some real practical applications

[kenspo]

I always rock! hehe

Yes + Godox flashes! I will test it all kinds of way..to see for glitches and bugs..

[jake14mw]

This is definitely a reason for Pentax folks to support Cactus!

[kenspo]

This is definitely a reason for Pentax folks to support Cactus!

No doubt

[Reb]

Starting to test the new FW for Pentax

For sure there are a lot of members excited to see your conclusion, I am one for sure.

[kenspo]

For sure there are a lot of members excited to see your conclusion, I am one for sure.

Will use the next week on testing..Then keep you all posted

[markl62]

Will use the next week on testing..Then keep you all posted

If you are testing Godox flashes also, will you be testing with a Godox trigger stacked on the Cactus, for controlling power. Would also reduce the number of Cactus triggers if using all Godox flashes.

[kenspo]

Sorry for not writing much yet, but summertime is the busiest time of year for me

But I can say that its looking very very good.

[mattb123]

This is great news! Looking forward to more updates and maybe getting some new triggers and flashes!

[kenspo]

I think the update for Pentax is just around the corner

[jake14mw]

This will be good news. Godox has just achieved TTL working across brands with their triggers and flashes. Meaning, if you have a Sony camera, and a Godox X1TS trigger made for Sony, and a Godox V860ii flash made for Canon, the trigger can control the flash. Unfortunately, Godox does not have Pentax support, so it doesn't really help us Pentax users much with TTL.

[Class A]

I understand HSS, used it for fill at outdoor events with 540's on camera, and I understand it's a bother to put an ND filter on and I understand all the other brands have the 3rd party capability, but I'm struggling to understand what can't be done without it.

Well, ND filters can help to bring down shutter speeds, but you

• ideally need one filter for each filter size of your lenses. Mounting them on and off can be cumbersome.
• will have to use step up rings if you want to bring the overall filter expenses down, but that makes the handling even more cumbersome.
• need multiple versions with a different strength or a variable ND filter. In particular variable ND filters can be very expensive in larger sizes and even the quality ones have issues when dialled down too much.
• will have trouble composing the scene and in particular with auto focusing because the viewfinder can get rather dark and the light to the AF module is reduced.
• will not be able to use high shutter speeds to stop motion. With an ND filter you are not escaping the sync-speed limitation so your fastest shutter speed is going to be 1/180s (or 1/200s with a K-1).

I tried using a variable ND filter and it wasn't a fun experience at all.

Or P-TTL

I'm not much of a P-TTL fan myself. The system is hopelessly archaic (for use with multiple off-camera flashes). I much prefer manual flash power control anyhow. However, for certain fast-paced scenarios it may be useful to have a system that gives one an OK flash exposure without having to find the right level manually.

My hunch is, it's .001 percent of lighting scenarios.

I don't have any empirical data, but I'd say there are many more situations in which HSS is either essential or very convenient. The popularity of HSS-capable gear should be a plausible indicator for a much higher applicability than what you are suggesting.

It's not hard to balance flash contribution to make a good outdoor event photo and keep the sky blue.

It is not but if you hit both the sync-speed and low ISO limits and don't want to stop down any further, you'll enter the ND filter game (see above).

Or freeze motion with strobe speed while the background doesn't move.

Freezing motion with extremely short single flash pulses is the best way to avoid any motion blur or rolling shutter effect. However, in standard lighting conditions, typical speedlights don't produce extremely short flash pulses. At full power, it can last around 1/125s to fully dissipate all the light energy. You can test that yourself by comparing the exposure from a full power flash at 1/180s vs 1/90s shutter speed (in otherwise dark conditions).

So to make standard (non-HSS) flash pulses really short, one has to use rather low flash power levels. This in turns means that this technique only works indoors where you can control the ambient light or you'll have to use lots and lots of speedlights to make up for the power loss.

[Class A]

Most of the time at 1/2 to 1/4 power, at least as fast as 1/400 which freezes dancers on stage.

How do you get speedlights firing with a 1/400s shutter speed without HSS-capabilities?

Are you using the PowerSync feature of the V6II or some P-TTL flash based workaround technique?

Plan B was three on one of these FlashPoint Tri Mount

Yeah, such multi-flash mounts are great.

[mcgregni]

I agree Brooke that the amount of emphasis here on HSS matters can seem disproportionate to the likely real world applications and use case for those asking about it. And, as I suspect you feel also, there are often more important elements of working with flash that should likely be learned about/focussed on first .....

You point, and ClassA's response, made me think about my own useage and need for HSS, and I can say that for outdoors with flash photos I'm using HSS around about 20-25 % of shots. So a significant proportion, but also worth saying that mostly it's those HSS shots that turn out being the most interesting and enjoyable images. So very much worth it to have the capability on tap.

However, I'm talking here mainly about on-camera direct flash ....off-camera HSS is a different ballgame and brings the hasstle/faffing around factor closer to that of ND filter use!

[mcgregni]

And there was me aiming for a conciliatory tone...

I think the useage cases are exactly the same for us all ...whenever 1/180th or 1/200th prevents us from getting the creative effect (eg small DOF, blurred background) combined with the reduced ambient exposure that we want. Working in bright sunshine, but being able to control that brightness while retaining the wide aperture that is ideal, leads to really interesting images where the flash/ambient exposure balance (a technical aspect) actually adds a creative aspect.

This extra control over the ambient even allows the use or the sun as an extra "free" light ....Effective as a hair rim, side fill . etc.

Now how we achieve the result technically, either HSS or filters, depends on our own gear and attitudes, and which one is more efficient in power terms and ambient /flash ratio is another matter ..... But my point here is that the usage case is the same for all of us who want to create the results under those particular conditions.

The cost is also a personal issue really. In my case I've got 2 P-TTL / HSS flashes and 1 Manual HSS flash. The P-TTL ones are multi-functional devices that get used 20% of the time for HSS .... That's well worth the extra expense I believe considering the ease of use they provide in dynamic situations as they jump around in their various roles (P-TTL / Wireless / 2nd curtain / HSS / Manual / Optical Slave) . The Manual flash gets less use for off camera HSS purely because it's more to set-up and configure for triggering, and so I don't find so many practical applications.

I see quite a few images posted on this forum where very effective use has been made of HSS , and I've posted a number of my own also. We have to bear in mind that many members posting HSS images here are relative beginners to the technique, and usually are just starting out figuring out how to get their HSS going off-camera. They're inevitably more focused on the technical challenges than the creative ones at these early stages of the learning.

I'll try and post a few of mine later when I can get onto the computer.